Sleeping Newt (Once Upon A Fandom)
by VoidRomeo
Summary: The little girl leaned down and whispered in baby Newt's ear, "You are going to be the most beautiful boy, I can tell."


Ava Paige was cradling the tiny baby in her arms, brushing the soft blonde tufts on top of his head. It had almost been a week, but she still couldn't get used to the miracle of nature in front of her. Her beautiful son. Her son. She hugged the baby closer and his tiny hands curled into fists. Ava knew it wouldn't be easy – as she was a single mother, but she was ready to take on the world with her bundle of joy in her arms.

A soft knock sounded on the hospital door.

"Come in!" Ava called, and smiled at the happiness she heard in her own voice. A smiling woman came in, her three year old son jogging in before them. He had a cute little nose and wide whiskey-coloured eyes. He ran straight for Ava's bed and unceremoniously peered at her son. The boy blinked.

"Is this him?" the boy demanded.

"Tom, why don't you say hello first," his mother scolded him, and then kissed Ava on both cheeks, "It's lovely to see you looking so well dear. Now let's see that wonderful son of yours."

Ava handed the baby over to her best friend and the woman held him close, looking down at him. Little Thomas jumped around impatiently.

" _Mom_!" he whined, "Let me see!"

"In a moment Tom, stop being so impatient."

"Oh come on," Ava laughed merrily, "let the boy have some fun. Sit down on the bed Thomas," the woman patted the covers next to her and Thomas sat down quickly.

"Don't drop him," his mother commanded and then gently eased the baby into her son's arms. Thomas stared at the blonde little boy in his arms with awe, eyes wide, arms securely wrapped around him. And then he gently reached out and pressed the tip of his thumb to the baby's tiny nose.

The newborns eyes fluttered open softly, and shone a brilliant blue. He blinked.

"Mom!" Tom yelled, a huge smile on his face, "He opened his eyes! He looked at me!"

The women peered down and started cooing at the child, talking in soft voices, about his baby blues. But the newborns eyes were fixed right on Thomas, his tiny fist reaching for the toddler.

"What's his name?" Thomas asked breathlessly.

"It's Newt."

There were loads of people at the Christening – Ava's side of the family a few friends, the priest from the local parish centre. Everyone came to congratulate the woman on a wonderful son, give their gifts, and 'aww' over baby Newt. Thomas stood solemnly at the buggy's side, proud because Newt stopped crying after Thomas offered him his hand, and now the blonde wouldn't let go of his thumb.

"Lovely boys," Ava's grandfather nodded as he was pushed along in his wheelchair by his son. His unfocused hazy blue eyes moved from baby Newt to Thomas, "you've got wonderful sons, Ava."

The woman looked uncomfortable,

"Um, grandad, Thomas isn't my son," she said gently. The old man nodded like he knew all along,

"Of course." He said. Four, slightly angry looking kids burst into the room. Two dark haired girls, a little Asian boy and a grumpy looking boy. They weaved between people's legs and made it to little Newt's cradle.

"Auntie!" The older of the two girls, five year old Teresa, called, "Auntie! Can we give little Newt his presents now?"

Ava laughed,

"Of course Teresa," she said gently. The woman picked up little Newt and put him into Teresa's arms when she sat on the couch. Newt looked up at the girl with wide blue eyes, moving his arms up in the air. Teresa smiled. One of her front teeth was missing. She smoothed down the unruly lock of Newt's blonde hair. She handed her aunt a teddy bear with a neat green bow around its neck, "for when he's older," Teresa informed her. Ava nodded,

"Thank you, Tessa."

The little girl leaned down and whispered in baby Newt's ear,

"You are going to be the most beautiful boy, I can tell." And then with a dimpled smile she passed the baby to five year old Minho. The Asian boy happily took him into his arms. He touched their noses together and Newt smiled reaching to touch Minho's face.

Minho passed a clumsily wrapped present to Ava, and then turned back to the baby, holding him carefully. Tessa peered over his shoulder.

"I bet you'll be wicked at guitar," the boy said confidently, "and then we can play in a band together."

He pressed their noses together again, and Newt smiled happily, before the Asian boy called Gally over. The two year old came over, uneasy on his feet.

"What do you wish for Newt?" Teresa asked. The boy furrowed his impressive eyebrows.

"I wish that he be nice. Nowt like Minhwo." He said stubbornly. Minho rolled his eyes,

"Okay, whatever. Brenda?" His youngest sister, who was barely one and a half, stumbled over. She was sucking on a lollipop, "Say a wish for Newt-"

There was suddenly an angry knock at the front door, and a hush fell over the room. Ava and Thomas' mother exchanged a look, and then Ava smiled fakely,

"An unexpected guest," she assured the people, but she sounded nervous. She slowly walked out into the corridor and then to the door. She took a gulp and Thomas' mother followed her, confused. Ava opened the front door and a man stumbled in, drunk off his mind.

"Where is he?!" the man roared. Ava stumbled back,

"Janson please-"

"Where is he you dumb bitch?!" Janson smashed his bottle on a wall. Shard of glass and alcohol hit the carpet, staining it, "WHERE'S MY SON?!"

At this point the guests began pouring out of the living room to see what the commotion was about. They all cowered as he waved the bottle around, someone threatened to call the police.

"Let me see my son!" Janson growled at his ex-wife, "let me see my son or I'll swear to God I'll take him away from you." The bottle slashed dangerously close to Ava's face, and the woman flinched. Thomas ran out and stared at the large man, cursing and threatening the mother of Newt. Then he sprinted back into the living room, Brenda hot on his heels despite her tiny legs, dodging between people's feet. He jumped on the couch and pulled Newt out of his buggy. The blonde began wailing as Thomas struggled with his weight. He hid in the corner, Newt in his arms, Brenda latched onto his arms, as both of them tried to calm the blonde down.

"It's okay Newt," Thomas whispered, "I'm here. I won't let him take you, I promise. I'll protect you…"

"Down't wowwy," Brenda lisped and let Newt's hand curl around her finger, "my wish is that hwe won't hwurt you."

Janson pushed past the guests and barged into the living room, his eyes focused on Thomas and Newt in the corner.

"You!" The man spat, "Give me my son, little son of a bitch!"

"No." Thomas said stubbornly. Janson roared wordlessly and raised his bottle, but Ava soundlessly stepped between him and the boys.

"Leave now," she seethed, "or I will call the police and you'll go right back to jail, you bastard." She held her phone ready in her hand. Janson glanced at it and then slowly began backing away,

"Remember this bitch," he growled, "I'll come back for my son. I'll take him away from you."

"No court would give a drunk rights to a child," Ava yelled. Her cheeks were red, tears in her eyes.

"The court doesn't have to know. No one will know," Janson smiled evilly, "One morning you'll wake up and your precious baby boy will be _gone._ And maybe I'll keep him," Janson was at the door now, looming over everyone. He smirked, "and maybe I'll send you his body."

And then he was walking out of the house, leaving a terrified, shaking Ava in the doorway.

"Oh baby," Thomas' mother tried to reach to her, but Ava pushed past her and everyone else and practically ripped Newt from Thomas' arms. She cradled him close,

"They won't t-take you," she sobbed. Her baby cried, "they won't t-take my baby. I-I won't let them…"

Later that evening, when everyone had left and it was just Ava, her sister and her father, her sister gently offered to take Newt in. Ava knew she needed medical help – she wasn't exactly the healthiest mentally, and her sister already had adopted two girls and two boys, and Ava knew that her little Newt would be safe there. So she said yes.

Yes, for the time being.

Yes, for a few months.

Yes, until I get everything together and I can take him back.

But Ava never got little Newt back. She committed suicide two weeks later, after days of her ex-husband banging on doors and swearing at her. She took the pills and fell asleep in her bed, with a smile on her face because Newt was safe.

When Thomas and his mother came to her funeral, the boy didn't understand what happened. Where was his Newt, why couldn't he take care of him anymore? Didn't his mother understand that he _promised…_

Meanwhile Ava's sister took all of her kids, and baby Newt, and moved to London. And Thomas was never to see him again.

 **16 years later.**

"NEWT!" Gally screeched as he stared at the monstrosity of his eyebrows. They were painted black with a permanent marker and no matter how hard Gally tried, he could not get it off.

His blonde cousin came running in, school blazer half pulled on, his feet bare.

"What?" he asked. Gally turned to him and Newt screamed in surprise before dissolving into laughter.

"Don't laugh you shank!" Gally yelled angrily.

"Oh God, I-I'm sorry," Newt wheezed, bending over, gasping for breath, his thin frames wracked with giggles. Gally glared at him,

"You did this."

Newt stopped laughing and frowned,

"No I didn't?" he offered. Gally sighed and then looked at himself in the mirror, absolutely defeated,

"Then who did?" he asked. Newt crossed his pale arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow,

"Oh I don't know," he said sarcastically, "Perhaps Teresa. Or you know, Brenda. Or maybe _Minho?"_

Gally's eyes widened underneath his angry eyebrows.

"That cross eyed bastard," he hissed, and stormed past Newt, screaming his adopted brother's name loudly. Newt leaned against the wall and sighed, he didn't understand why they had all thought it was a good idea to move out and start living together. Newt was only sixteen, and he still went to school. So did Brenda and Minho. Just because Gally and Tessa were 'adults' didn't mean they acted like that. The constant pranks and arguments were seriously getting on Newt's nerves.

The blonde stalked back to the room he and Minho shared and was not surprised to find his cousin gone, probably running from a furious Gally. The blonde pulled on his socks and shoes, grabbed his bag and walked out of his room. Brenda was waiting for him at the door, texting furiously on her phone with one hand, a half-eaten croissant in the other.

"Morning," Newt offered.

"Mom wants us to go to that charity party with her," was all his sister said as they jumped into their SUV. Brenda locked her phone and glanced around, "Is Min coming?"

"I don't know. As far as I know he's busy being chased by Gally,"

"Ugh, boys," Brenda complained and began pulling out of their driveway.

"Soo…about the party," Newt inquired, "is it fancy dress?"

"Yup," Brenda said with a bright, predatory grin, "The Roaring Twenties."

"Okay, mom," Thomas sighed into the phone, one arm securing the strap of his bag on his shoulder, "I know the address."

" _Make sure you go to that party."_ His mom's worried voice rang through the phone, " _Ms Agnes will make sure you know your way around London."_

"Okay, mom," Thomas sighed again, "I love you. Bye."

"Bye, Tommy, I love you too." Thomas hanged up and stepped out of the airport taking in a deep breath of London air. He was really here, in England, all by himself. A massive grin appeared on the brunette's face, life was great.

"So…like, too much boob?" Brenda inquired, standing in a short, low cut black dress in front of her siblings. The little beads on strings barely brushed her mid-thighs. Teresa wrinkled her nose,

"Yes, Bree, too much boob," the girl said. Brenda sighed,

"How else am I gonna pick up hot chicks?" she whined, fixing her headdress. Gally snorted,

"Yeah, exactly." He agreed meanly. His eyebrows were back to normal. Brenda swatted at him as Teresa smoothed down her knee-length green dress.

"Where's Newt and Minho?" she asked impatiently.

"We're here! Don't panic!" Minho jumped down the stairs, his black tie untied around his neck, his three top buttons undone, his shirt out of his trousers.

"You look like a mess," Brenda said simply. Minho shrugged happily, his eyes turning into half-moons,

"Whatever you say, sis. Can we go? I wanna try the appetisers," the Asian boy said, rubbing his hands together. Teresa rolled her eyes,

"Yeah okay, where's Newt?"

"I don't want to go," the blonde's quiet voice floated from the shadowed staircase. Brenda and Teresa exchanged a look,

"Why not?" Teresa asked. Newt peeked his blonde head around the corner.

"Because I'm wearing _suspenders,_ " he said, exasperated.

"They're cute, though," Brenda pointed out. Newt just disappeared back in the shadows. Everyone groaned, and Gally reached into the darkness, pulling a struggling Newt out by his wrist. The blonde stood defeated in the light, dressed in black dungarees, a waistcoat and a fucking _bowtie._

"I look ridiculous," he whined.

"You look cute, let's go!" Minho said quickly and jumped out of the door before they could be even more late. His siblings shuffled out and then a massive argument started on the seating arrangement, but eventually Newt was allowed to go shotgun so he could cheer up a bit. Teresa drove and Minho, Gally and Brenda shoved each other in the backseat, complaining the entire way. Newt just stared out of the window, nibbling on his lip.

The real reason why he didn't want to go to the party wasn't because of his costume (though he had to admit he looked really stupid), but because a certain someone would be there. Aris Jones, his ex-boyfriend.

"Let's go get chicks!" Brenda yelled when Tessa parked, and the two boys in the back cheered.

"Or guys?" Teresa offered. Newt high fived her weakly.

So far the party was alright, a bit over the top in Thomas' opinion, but alright. Ms Agnes came and welcomed him warmly, they exchanged phone numbers and after some awkward small talk, the woman left to talk to one of the more important people.

Thomas ditched his blazer and was now in a black shirt with the top button undone, and a red tie. He sipped on his whiskey and watched the people mingling around the room. A jazz band was set up on a stage and most of the guests were dancing to the music. Everything was a blur of headdresses and bowties and heels. It all made Thomas' head spin. Well, all that and the whiskey.

A girl suddenly popped up in front of him, dressed in a green dress.

"Thomas Paige, right?" she asked. Thomas smiled a bit awkwardly,

"Err, yeah." He juggled his glass to his left hand and then clumsily shook the girl's hand with his slightly damp right one. She laughed,

"I'm Teresa. Don't know if you remember me."

"Um, not really," Thomas offered weakly, shrugging, "I was only three as far as I know."

"Of course," Teresa laughed, eyes twinkling, "Well? Care to dance with me, _sir_?" She curtsied and it was Thomas' turn to chuckle.

"Of course," he said and led the girl to the dance floor. She wasn't really his type, but she was sweet and pretty, and one dance didn't hurt anybody.

After the last spin on the last note of the song, the people clapped politely.

"Let me introduce you to my siblings," Teresa offered.

"Yeah, okay," Thomas agreed and let himself be pulled out of the once-again dancing crowd.

They found the brown haired girl first, flirting shamelessly by some dark skinned girl dressed in gold.

"Brenda," Teresa hissed, and then smiled brightly, "You remember Thomas, right?

The brown haired girl eyed Thomas up and down,

"Nope," she said popping the 'p', "but if I was straight I'd totally tap that," she winked and her companion giggled. Teresa glared at her sister and led Thomas away,

"Sorry," she said, "she's always like that."

"Er…that's okay," Thomas offered. They weaved through the crowd until they caught Minho, surrounded by a ring of girls.

"Seriously?" Teresa sighed to herself, "why are all my siblings so cheap? MINHO!" she exclaimed. The Asian boy looked up, still grinning,

"What's up sis? Who's your friend, new prey?" Teresa flushed furiously,

"No, I don't swing that way," Thomas said casually. He offered Minho his hand and the Asian shook it, "Thomas."

"Minho," they introduced themselves. A girl giggled shamelessly and another was practically glued to the boys arm, "Sorry. Business calls."

"Let's go," Teresa took Thomas' hand and pulled him away. They walked around the dark side of the room, "I didn't know you like boys," Teresa said.

"Oh," Thomas looked uncomfortable, "well…yeah."

"That's cool," Teresa smiled, "My adopted brother, Newt's gay."

"Newt?" Thomas frowned. The name seemed familiar…

"Yeah. Do you remember him?" Teresa inquired, "You were pretty attached to him when you were a kid."

"Aw c'mon," Thomas groaned, "I was three. I don't remember."

"Alright, alright," Teresa raised her hands in surrender, and then noticed a boy with angry eyebrows in the corner, sipping on champagne and glaring at everyone, "oh look there's Gally."

Before Thomas could protest, the girl was once again dragging him.

"Hi Gally," Teresa said, slightly breathless.

"Who's your friend?" Gally asked, glaring at Thomas.

"That's Thomas." Teresa introduced him, "and this is my brother, Gally."

" _Adoptive_ brother." Gally interrupted.

"Yeah okay, whatever," Teresa said, "have you seen Newt?"

"Last I saw he was walking outside. He looked pretty upset. That Aris kid followed him," Gally shrugged and downed his champagne.

"And you didn't go after him!?" Teresa demanded, "you know how Aris makes him feel!"

Thomas stood between the two awkwardly,

"What was I meant to do?" Gally defended himself, "I'm not getting in-between their lovers quarrel."

"You do know that they're broken up," Teresa hissed. Gally sighed and put his glass down,

"Fine I'll go get him."

"Actually I was gonna go outside for a smoke," Thomas said, "I might as well get him on the way."

Teresa sighed in relief,

"Thanks. He's really small and blonde."

Thomas nodded and pushed past the crowd, to get to the closed doors. He pushed at them impatiently and took a deep breath of the cold, night air. After so many hours in the stuffy hall, he felt like he couldn't breathe. The boy leaned against the brick wall and watched his breath turn to mist in front of his face. That's when he heard the voices.

"…Seriously Newt!? You know I'm the best you'll ever get!" an angry boy sneered.

"Aris, we're over. I don't want you anymore," a trembling, upset voice answered, "You broke my heart."

"Oh c'mon, that was one time, and with a girl. I was experimenting."

"Well it bloody hurt, so just leave me alone. I don't want to see you."

Thomas slowly rounded the corner. Two figures stood in the shadows, the shorter one caged into the wall by the taller ones arms. The trapped figure tried to duck under the taller's arms, but the angry boy slammed him into the wall. The figure gasped,

"Aw, fuck. That hurt you idiot!" The upset voice hissed.

"I'll hurt you even more," the attacker hissed, leaning closer to the other boy, "if you don't get back together with me. I'll get your dad on you, I'll tell him where you are, I swear-"

Thomas' had had enough. He stepped forward,

"Oi!" he called, "What the hell are you doing?! Leave him alone!"

He roughly grabbed the back of the attacker's shirt and pulled him backwards. He slammed him into the wall, and the brown-haired boy in front of him gasped,

"What the fuck-" he started, wincing. Then he noticed how Thomas towered over him. He shook him off roughly, "Nevermind. Whatever," then he turned to his 'friend', "Remember what I said, Newt!" and he ran off. Thomas let out a sigh of relief and turned to the boy left with him,

"That was close. You okay-"

The words literally _died_ inside of Thomas' throat, and he found it really hard to swallow, because _shit_ this guy was gorgeous.

He stood, slightly out of breath, delicate hands shaking, blonde hair tussled, cheeks tinged pink from the cold, blue eyes wide…Thomas' couldn't stop his gaze from travelling down the guy's body. He was thin, and about a head shorter than Thomas', his pale skin seemed white in the moonlight.

"I-um…err," the brunette said intelligently.

"Thanks," the blonde said abruptly, refusing to meet Thomas' eye, "for helping me. That was nice of you."

"You're Newt, right?" Thomas asked, because he really hated 'thankyou's.' The blonde frowned,

"Yeah. How do you know?"

"I met your sister," Thomas said, a bit awkwardly.

"Tessa or Brenda?" Newt asked, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his dungarees. _He looks really cute in those_ …Thomas shook his head, forcing himself to focus on Newt's soft voice and not his adorable outfit.

"Teresa," Thomas replied. Newt smiled, and looked up to the heavens as if thanking them,

"Thank God. Brenda's a handful."

"Oh I met her too," Thomas said quickly, "and Minho. And Gally."

Newt groaned,

"Just so you know, we're not _actually_ related," Newt clarified, but Thomas could tell he was joking, "well me and Tessa are."

"Oh," Thomas said, because he couldn't really gather his thoughts with Newt so close. So he made the mistake of asking the dumbest question, "So who was that guy?"

Newt's whole expression darkened.

"I…My ex-boyfriend. He's an abusive asshole," he said. And then blushed – he didn't want Thomas to think that Aris hurt him, which he did but…

"I could beat him up if you want," Thomas offered, eyes suddenly angry. He wasn't big on violence but he suddenly had the need to protect the blonde boy, and if that meant bruising his ex's face, then so be it. Newt huffed out a laugh, breath changing into a cloud in front of his face. Then he shivered slightly, "You cold?" Thomas asked.

"Yeah." Newt said, "Are you gonna offer me you jacket now?"

"If you want," Thomas said, hands scrambling to undo his buttons. Newt laughed again,

"I'm kidding." He said, "Let's go back inside though. It is pretty cold."

Thomas agreed and the two walked quickly back inside. The party _changed_. The men lost the blazers and tie's, the girls left the heels laying around, the lights were dimmed, the band gone, a DJ was busting out so music, all the younger people were up on the dancefloor, dancing. It was like a nightclub,

"Damn," Newt said blinking rapidly as the colourful lights that swirled around hurt his eyes, "It wasn't like this when I left."

"I know," Thomas shouted over the music, "let's find Tessa." Newt nodded in agreement and the two began pushing through the crowd. Thomas had to keep turning around to make sure the smaller blonde was keeping up. Someone bumped into Newt and he stumbled. Thomas' hand shot out and he circled Newt's wrist,

"So you don't get lost!" the brunette yelled over the music. The floor thumped with vibrations and Newt was blushing. Thomas really wanted to kiss him but he knew that would be inappropriate. The blonde gently slid his freezing cold hand into Thomas' warm one, letting his fingers slot in between the other boys' ones. Thomas smiled and the jumped back into the crowd, pulling Newt along.

Normally, Newt wasn't like that. Normally, Newt stood up for himself and wouldn't let Aris bully him, but he was terrified of his threats about getting his father on him. He heard enough stories. Also – Aris was bigger than him, but not as big as Thomas, and Newt really didn't want a black eye. So that's why he let Thomas deal with his ex-boyfriend.

And he didn't normally go off telling people about his and Aris' business, but the way Thomas stood so close to him, making him feel so safe…and the way he looked at Newt. Nobody had looked at the blonde like that before, and it made him shiver and want to step closer to the other boy. Which was weird. And creepy.

And he didn't normally let boys hold his hand unless they were dating but fuck, Thomas' hand was so big and warm, and he was tugging Newt along gently, making sure that he wasn't hurting him and it made him feel all tingly inside.

The only person the blonde had dated was Aris, and he was all persistence and violence and hot kissed and wandering hands, growls and snapping…Thomas was warm and safe and strong.

 _You sound like a teenage girl,_ Newt scolded himself. Someone barged into him suddenly and he couldn't keep his balance. The blonde was send crashing into Thomas' back. The brunette didn't even stumble, just turned around and caught Newt before he could fall to the floor. They realized that they were in the middle of the packed dancefloor. Well Thomas realized, Newt was too busy hyperventilating over the fact that _Thomas' fucking arms were around his waist and he was so close that Newt could smell him and oh God-_

"You okay?" Thomas' asked, speaking directly into the blonde's ear. Newt shivered. He was so confused by his reactions…

"Y-Yeah," he said, mind a bit hazy, "Let's f-find Tessa…"

But Teresa found them first, Ms Agnes and Minho in tow. They all looked slightly panicked.

"Newt!" Ms Agnes sighed in relief, "Thank God."

"What's wrong, Auntie?" Newt frowned, and hastily let go of Thomas' hand.

"Your father's here!" Tessa yelled over the music, "he found our address somewhere and he knows where you're staying!"

"You need to go, now," Minho interrupted. As well as panicked, he looked slightly high. Newt was confused and quite frankly, terrified.

"B-But where?!" he asked. Ms Agnes ran a hand through her curls and looked around blindly. Thomas stepped forward.

"I'll take him," he said firmly, calmly. He glanced between the panicking blonde to Ms Agnes, "at least until tomorrow. You've got my number, miss. And his father won't find him at my place."

Ms Agnes looked slightly unsure,

"Newt, honey-"

Brenda ran up to them, followed by Gally. Her lips were red and her hair was everywhere,

"He's arguing in the lobby," she said quickly, "we have no time."

"I'll go with Thomas," Newt said suddenly, "until…things calm down."

Ms Agnes opened her mouth to say something, but angry shouts sounded near the front of the room.

"Go." Brenda said, eyes boring holes in Newt's brain, "just go." She pushed him towards Thomas, who grabbed his wrist and ran towards the backdoor, pulling the blonde with him. Newt managed to catch a glimpse of a red, rat like face, and angry eyes, before he was outside.

Newt stood in the middle of Thomas' living room. There were boxes stacked everywhere, unpacked bags and suitcases. Clearly, the brunette hadn't bothered to unpack yet.

"Um, so…," Thomas said awkwardly, playing with his keys. Newt hugged himself and look at the floor. He tried to blink back his tears. Why did everything always have to be ruined. First Aris' has a go at him, now his dad ruins a night that was just starting to look up. Newt missed his mom, he didn't remember her but he wished she could be here so he had someone to share this fear with.

"I-I'll sleep on the couch," the blonde said shakily. Thomas looked at him, unsure of what to do. Newt took a deep breath, "I-It's great of y-you for letting m-me stay here, r-really. I-I'll be o-out of you h-hair tomorrow and it'll a-all be o-okay."

"Newt." Thomas said gently, and reached for the blonde. Newt flinched away,

"S-Sorry I j-just…," Newt bit his lip, and a tear rolled down his cheek. Thomas helplessly let his arm flop back to his side.

"I'll make you tea," he offered softly, "do you want some?"

"Y-Yes please," Newt whispered. He took a shaky breath and wiped at his eyes angrily, "C-Could I use the bathroom?"

"Last door on the left," Thomas nodded, eyes glued to Newt's face. The blonde dashed through the doorway and ran to the bathroom, accidently slamming the door shut. He winced and then turned to the mirror. His eyes were sparkling with unshed tears, he was paler than usual, only his cheeks were red. Newt stifled a sob with his sleeve and then turned away from his pathetic reflection. He slid down the war and started crying, muffling his voice with his hand.

Thomas was worried. He didn't know Newt very well…or at all, but it didn't stop him from feeling for the boy. He looked so lost when he stood in Thomas' living room, and the brunette just wanted to comfort him. Instead, he tried to focus on making him some tea. He had forgot to ask how Newt took it, so he just went for it, putting in two sugars and some milk. He made tea with no milk for yourself and brought it to the couch, cleaning some boxes from it.

As he lifted the last, pretty heavy, box, Newt walked in. Thomas could tell he was crying, his beautiful blue eyes were rimmed red and the tip of his nose was pink. The brunette smiled at him, ignoring his disgruntled, although still cute, appearance.

"Tea's on the floor," he said, putting the box in the corner, "sorry I didn't get a table yet."

"It's okay," Newt sniffed a little bit, and then smiled, "thank you."

"Don't worry 'bout it," Thomas took a sip of his tea. And then he got an idea, "Actually come outside, I've got a great view from the balcony."

The two got up, took their mugs, and walked outside. It was cold, and Newt was still in his weird outfit from the party, as was Thomas, but the view made the blonde forget about the weather for a moment. Below them, was London in all its glory. London eye shone close by, glimmering with purple and pink lights, a beacon in the darkness, close enough to touch. Clubs were opening up for the night, happy adults and teenagers with fake ID weaved through the streets below them, giddy with excitement for a party to come, but Newt and Thomas were above them, in their own little bubble.

"It's beautiful," Newt breathed, forming a cloud in front of his face. Thomas nodded, smiling, and sipped on his tea. Newt sat down on the concrete floor of the balcony and slotted his legs in-between the railings. Thomas did the same. The two sipped at their drinks for a moment,

"So what do you do?" Thomas asked, "in your free time?"

"I play the guitar," Newt shrugged one shoulder, "I'm alright I suppose. What about you?"

"Well," Thomas smiled over the rim of his cup, "I draw."

"Really?" Newt's eyes widened. He wasn't looking at London anymore, but at Thomas.

"Yeah," Thomas said, and then added quickly before he could chicken out, "You should let me draw you some time."

Newt grimaced,

"I'm not exactly a model," he sipped.

"I think you'd be a great model," Thomas assured, and then flushed, quickly drinking the rest of his drink. Newt just stared at him, blushing, before looking back at the city. Thomas put his cup down and stood up. He reached into his blazer pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"What are you doing?" Newt asked, putting his cup down. Thomas had a cigarette in between his teeth, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Err, smoking?" he offered. Newt stood up and look at Thomas in disbelief.

" _Seriously?!"_ Newt deadpanned, and then mumbled something that sounded vaguely like 'of course he couldn't be perfect' to Thomas'. The brunette grinned and lit the fag. Newt's eyes widened, "Oi! Don't smoke near me, you bloody idiot!"

"My house, my rules," Thomas said simply, taking a drag and blowing smoke out into the night. Newt watched his lips with unfocused eyes. He was suddenly hot, "want?" Thomas asked, holding the cigarette out. Newt looked unsure, nibbling on his lip which was really fucking distracting.

"A-Alright, I guess," he said and reached for the cigarette. Thomas moved his arm back,

"Are you sure though?"

"Just give me the fag," Newt snapped, "I've had a shit day."

Now it was Thomas' turn to look unsure. Newt looked at him with his best puppy-dog eyes,

"Please, Tommy," he said. Thomas sighed,

"Fine." He grumbled and handed the cigarette to Newt. The blonde smirked and then took a long drag. And then proceeded to choke and cough, leaning over the railing.

"S-Shit," he wheezed, "what the fuck-"

"Huh?" Thomas was momentarily distracted by Newt's ass. It was a great ass.

"Tommy?" Newt asked. Thomas snapped his eyes away,

"Yeah. Um, that usually happens," he took the cigarette away from the blonde and fiddled with it, "we can try something, it's a bit weird, but it won't make you cough."

"Yeah, okay," Newt laughed, "nothing could be weirder than today and- oh. Oh okay." Newt blinked, surprised because suddenly Thomas had his hand on his chin. Newt blushed furiously,

"I…um, what a-are you doing?" he asked shakily, heart beating fast against his chest.

"Just," Thomas looked at him, "just open your mouth."

"What?!" Newt demanded. Thomas took a drag from the cigarette, and kept a firm hold on Newt's chin. The brunette raised an eyebrow in question, and Newt looked away, embarrassed, but opened his mouth. Thomas came close to him, which was really not helping his heart beat right now, close enough to kiss and then blew the smoke right into the blonde's mouth.

Newt gasped, and that caused him to suck the smoke in. Instead of scratching at his throat like before, the smoke gently eased itself down, tickling slightly. Newt didn't cough, but closed his mouth. Thomas was still holding his chin, staring at him with a grin on his face. Newt breathed out of his nose and the smoke came out.

Both of the boys burst out laughing, pulling away from each other,

"I don't think smoking's for me," Newt said when Thomas finished the cigarette.

"Yeah, it's not for everyone," Thomas shrugged and chucked the remains of the fag over the railing. It was out by the time it reached the pavement, "Come on it's late. I'll give you some pyjamas."

The blonde followed him into his bedroom, which was slightly more unpacked but still messy. Thomas rummaged through his closet as Newt looked around the room. There was a picture of Thomas with his mom, some of his friends, concert and football match tickets, bus passes from France…

"Here," Thomas sniffed at a light blue shirt, "should be okay. These are clean," the brunette handed Newt the shirt and a pair of boxers, "You can change in the bathroom."

"Okay."

Thomas was opening the couch and throwing pillows and covers onto it, when Newt stepped out of the bathroom, and for the second time that night, Thomas forgot how to breathe. Because Newt was standing there innocently in the too-big t-shirt that magically matched his eyes, blushing slightly and looking away and _ugh._ Thomas was seriously going to need a cold shower, ASAP.

"T-The bed's done," the brunette said, wincing as his voice cracked. The two faced each other for a second, before Thomas looked away, "Well…goodnight, I guess."

"Wait." Newt's hand shot out and grabbed Thomas' arm. He looked like he wanted to say something, but didn't know how. The grip on Thomas' arm loosened, and the brunette really didn't want Newt to go yet, so he reached out and pulled him into a hug. Newt stiffened in his arms, but almost immediately relaxed, fitting against Thomas, wrapping his arms around the brunette's waist and burying his face in the boy's shoulder. Newt breathed out.

"Thank you," he said again. Thomas stepped away with a smile,

"G'night Newt."

"Night, Tommy."

The next morning Newt's adoptive mother called him, and told him that the police will come over to question him, and that his father is to be arrested. When they find him.

The blonde didn't want to talk to the officers, but Thomas let them come into his living room, where Newt replied to the questions with distaste. He didn't know much. There were death threats involved, and apparently his father wanted to hurt him. His own father.

After the police left Newt laid curled on the couch for a long time, too angry to cry. Thomas came over and squeezed his shoulder, and eventually Newt fell asleep. He woke up just past two in the afternoon. His new brunette friend was sitting opposite him, sketching.

"Are you drawing me?" Newt grumbled. Thomas fumbled with his papers, startled and beet red. His sketchbook fell to the floor and drawings scattered everywhere.

"Shit," the brunette swore. Newt fell to his knees and helped Thomas gather the papers up. There were several drawings of people and some scenery and flowers. It was all pretty good,

"These are pretty good," Newt voiced his thoughts, holding up a picture of a smiling woman. The detail on her face was amazing. Thomas cleared his throat,

"Yeah, um, that's my mom."

Newt nodded, a little smile on his face. He stared at the picture. Thomas looked uncomfortable,

"So what kind of name's _Newt_?"

Newt blushed furiously,

"Shut up you shank," he grumbled, and snatched the piece of paper that Thomas was holding. The brunette protested, but it was too lat. Newt stared at the sketch of him, sleeping, with his hair mused, and his mouth slightly open. It wasn't shaded in properly, but Newt still really liked it.

"I'm not that pretty," he pointed out.

"Yeah you are!" Thomas protested quickly, and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "you're like really, really…pretty." He mumbled. Newt could feel his face heat up,

"Thanks, I guess."

Newt woke up that night and couldn't fall bask asleep. The door to Thomas' room were closed so he assumed the brunette was asleep. It was dark, the only light coming from the street lamps outside the window. Newt sat up in bed, but he didn't want to turn the light on in case he woke Tommy up.

The blonde got up and padded to the bathroom. He threw cold water on his tired, pale face, and then he saw the lone cigarette lying next to the counter. Newt twirled it in his slim fingers and then pocketed it. He walked to the kitchen and pulled out a pair of matches he knew were in one of the cabinets. Then, as quietly as he could, the blonde opened the balcony door.

It was cold, mid-November. Newt suddenly wished for something warmer than one of Thomas' thin, cotton shirts, but he wasn't about to go wake the brunette up. So Newt leaned against the railing and lit the match. He watched it burn for a second, mesmerized by the fire.

"Newt?" Thomas asked sleepily. The blonde whirled around, and saw the brunette leaning against the balcony door, "You okay?"

It was a weird moment for Newt. His stomach did a back flip, and any words he had died in his throat, and his heart beat stuttered, and he was hot all over just from Thomas looking at him. And then there was a sharp pain on his hand. Newt yelled out and dropped the match, which had completely burned down until it had scorched his skin.

"Shit," he cursed. Thomas walked up to him and grabbed his hand, there was an angry welt on Newt's pale skin, "Ouch." The blonde complained.

"Quick, put it under the cold water!" Thomas instructed, pulling him into the apartment and the into the kitchen. The brunette forced Newt to put his burned hand under the running water of the sink.

"What were you even trying to _do_?" Thomas asked. Newt shrugged, looking at his hand under the water. It was going numb from the cold liquid, but what interested him was the fact that Thomas was still holding his burned palm.

"I couldn't go to sleep so I thought I'd go for a smoke."

Thomas chuckled despite himself,

"Made a real addict out of you, didn't I?"

Newt just splashed him playfully. And then he realized what he did. The front of Thomas' shirt was wet, and his face was in shock. Newt winced,

"Shit sorry-"

Thomas grabbed a cup, and filled it up with water, still holding onto Newt's hand firmly.

"Wait, Tommy d-don't-" Newt didn't get to finish because then his entire being was being soaked with freezing water. The blonde squealed, err, yelled manly, and tried to free himself from Thomas. Splashing at him desperately,

"Stop it!" Newt yelled, and finally managed to get away. The blonde sprinted to the bathroom, and Thomas frowned.

"Newt?" he said, following, "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't know you felt uncom-"

He was cut off because the second he walked into the bathroom, his entire being was assaulted by a freezing cold spray of water from the shower head. Newt cackled madly when Thomas yelped and ducked back out.

"Come in here, you coward!" Newt yelled after him. Thomas came back with a bowl (where the hell did he get that?!) and he threw it at Newt, who ducked, but accidently dropped the shower head and got a face full of water. The blonde screamed while Thomas laughed, and jumped out of the bath. Newt ducked under Thomas' arm and ran back into the kitchen, looking for a new weapon. The tap was still running so Newt filled up the cup that Thomas had abandoned and held it in front of him like a gun.

"If you come closer, I'll throw it at you," the blonde warned, giggling in between words. Thomas grinned,

"I'm already soaking," he said and stepped closer. Newt threw the water at him and chucked the cup in the sink. Thomas reached for him, and Newt stepped back, slipping on the wet floor. The blonde went down and grasped at Thomas for purchase. Both of them ended up sprawled on the floor. Well, Newt was sprawled on the floor, complaining, and Thomas was on top of him, laughing.

"Get off you're heavy!" Newt yelled, but his face broke into a grin. Thomas pulled himself off and hovered over Newt. Suddenly the atmosphere changed and the smiles disappeared from both the boys faces. The only sounds in the room was their slightly-erratic breathing and the water running.

"You should turn it off," Newt said quietly.

"Yeah." Thomas agreed, but didn't move, his eyes glued to Newt's. He could see the water droplet's clinging to the blonde's dark eyelashes. The brunette reached down and pushed a piece of Newt's wet hair behind his ear.

"Don't." Newt said suddenly, grasping Thomas' warm wrist and pulling it away from his face. He couldn't take it anymore, his hurt fucking _hurt._ Newt pushed the brunette off of him and ran to the bedroom. He began throwing the clothes Minho brought for him into a plastic bag, and tugging on his shoes.

"Where are you going?!" Thomas asked suddenly.

"Home," Newt said, not looking up.

"Hey, c'mon," Thomas grabbed Newt's wrist, "I'm sorry if I did something, but please don't go. I like having you here."

Newt sighed,

"Look, Tommy. I can't stay here forever, I can't hide forever. This…it was nice, but I need to get home."

"But I need to see you again," Thomas insisted, hand still firmly on Newt's wrist.

"Just leave me alone!" the blonde snapped, and pulled away. He ran out of the front door leaving a confused, disoriented Thomas in the living room, wondering what he did wrong.

"This is stupid," Teresa said anxiously, pacing the room, arms crossed over her chest. Brenda sighed,

"Chill out, babe."

"You should be back with Thomas, save from that asshole who says he's your dad," Gally grumbled.

"I can't." Newt mumbled from the pile of covers he was under. Gally was sitting in the foot of his bed, Minho leaned against the door, Teresa paced the floor and Brenda was sat next to him, a comforting hand on what she hoped was his shoulder.

"Why not?" Brenda asked gently.

"Because I think I might like him." Newt whined. Gally snorted,

"That's good then, it would be hard to live with someone you hate," he glared pointedly at Minho, who face palmed,

"That's not what he means," Brenda sighed, "he like _likes_ him."

"Like _like_? What are you lot like in high school?" Gally winced, "Oh wait. You fucking are."

Teresa glared at him and then went to sit on Newt's other side. The blonde peeked out from behind the covers.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted. Gally opened his mouth, "Gally get out. Minho you too!"

"Hey!" Minho protested, "what did I do?!"

"Just go," Brenda hissed at them. The boys complained but got up and left the room, closing the door. She turned to Newt, "So what's up?"

"I don't know." Newt said quietly, wringing his hands out, "he makes me feel…weird."

"Weird how?" Teresa frowned, "like Aris?"

Newt shook his head,

"No. That idiot never made me feel…like _this_ ," he waved his hand vaguely in the air, blushing. "Ugh. This is so embarrassing to talk about," he complained, burying his face in his hands. Brenda and Teresa exchanged a look,

"Come on bro, we're your sisters. You can talk to us." Brenda said. Newt sighed,

"Well," he mumbled into the covers, "he makes my heart beat really fast for no reason, and not even when he's near, but like, if he's across the room and just _looks_ at me in this specific way…"

"What way?" Brenda asked, Teresa shushed her. Newt shrugged helplessly,

"I don't know. Like…like his eyes go really soft and he has this really tiny smile on his face, and it's like I'm the only thing he can look at, which is _weird_ because he doesn't like me like _that_ and I'm probably just imagining stuff."

"Newt there's nothing wrong with liking boys, you know that," Teresa said softly, "you know we love and support both you and Brenda-"

"It's not that I have a problem with liking boys," Newt groaned, "it's just _him_ specifically."

Teresa sighed.

Brenda sighed.

Newt sighed.

"I'm going for a walk," the blonde said, clambering over Tessa's lap and hopping to his closet.

"Newt it's kind of late," Teresa protested, nibbling on her lip. Newt pulled on a hoodie,

"Don't care."

"Let him have some space," Brenda said. She pulled out her phone, "I need to call Harriet."

"New girlfriend?" Teresa asked. Brenda shrugged one shoulder and smirked,

"If I play the cards right, then possibly."

It was dark and cold out. But it was always dark and cold in London. Newt huffed and stuffed his hands in his pockets, ducking his head low as he passed by a street lamp. He wished it was summer, he longed for warmth, but the cold night air cleared his head a little bit. He pushed his earphones into his ears, and let All Time Low blare into his brain, muffling his thoughts.

Newt was so lost in the music that he didn't notice the man following him. It started raining and the blonde swore, hiding his phone and earphones, afraid that they'd get wet. He ran into an alleyway, hoping to take the dodgy shortcut home. He was deep between the mazes of houses, when he heard the footsteps.

Newt whirled around and came face to face with his father. The blonde blinked, and suddenly he felt raw panic in his chest.

"What are you doing here!?" he demanded, trying to keep his voice steady. Janson was blocking his only way out. The other end of the alleyway ended in a brick wall. Newt didn't remember it being there before. "What d-do you want from me?!"

"Can't I just talk to my son?" Janson asked, smiling coldly. Newt shuddered in disgust. This man ruined his wife, caused his mother to commit suicide…

"No. Leave me and my family alone," Newt snapped, suddenly angry.

"I am your family."

"No you're not," Newt spat, "you ruined my life."

A shadow passed over his father's face,

"And you ruined mine," Janson hissed, "you and you slutty, good-for-nothing, dead mother."

"Don't talk like that about her!" Newt yelled. Tears stung his eyes.

"I heard about you," Janson stepped closer, and Newt stepped back. "You're a freak aren't you. My own kid, a fucking fag." He spat at the ground.

"Fuck off. Leave me alone."

"I bet you like it up the ass, you sick fuck," Janson yelled, "piece of shit, worthless boy. I can't believe I'm your father."

"You're not." Newt yelled, hands curling into fists, "I don't have a father!"

Janson laughed and then casually pulled out a gun. Newt stumbled back.

"You're not only a fag, but an idiot. You think anyone will ever love you?" Janson cocked his head to the side, aiming the gun at Newt's head, "Your mother didn't love you. She hated you. You ruined her life, that's why she gave you away, that's why she killed herself. She couldn't stand you, and she preferred to die than live with you. Good riddance," Janson cackled, "and that boy of yours – Thomas, is it?"

"How do you know about him?!" Newt demanded,

"Oh dear boy," Janson's gun clicked, "I have been observing you. In "love" are you? With _him_?" the man raised an eyebrow, "you really are pathetic. You think he'd ever want you? What do you have to offer? Nothing! You're stupid, twisted, a freak, good for nothing. Just like your mother."

"Stop talking and just shoot me already." Newt said, surprised at how calm his voice sounded. Janson's words did nothing to him, he already knew all those things. Janson laughed. The rain stopped.

"Oh I won't shoot you. That would be too obvious." Janson grinned and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a tiny bottle of Vodka and a packet of sleeping pills. He chucked them at Newt, and they bounced off of his wet chest. "Pick them up and swallow them."

"Or?" Newt inquired.

"Or I shoot you first, then I shoot your bastard siblings, starting with that yellow, cross eyed one, and then I'll kill Thomas." Janson said, almost sweetly. Newt swallowed hard, and his hands were beginning to shake. It suddenly hit him in a rush – he'd die here. He'd die right here, in this dark alleyway, soaking wet, with alcohol burning his throat and sleeping pills in his stomach. Everyone would think it was a suicide, nobody would look for Janson. He'd die killed by his own father, and everyone would think he was just like his mother. Weak.

But he couldn't let his family get hurt. His wonderful mother, and the stupidly brave Brenda who came out by snogging a girl at a charity event, and the gorgeous, kind Teresa who always put people first, and the cheerful, happy Minho who always lifted his spirits up, and even the moody, caring Gally. And Thomas, wonderful, of so wonderful Tommy, who made him tea, blew smoke in his mouth and drew him when he slept.

Newt bent down and picked up the alcohol and pills. He looked at them,

"Hurry up, boy I don't have all day," Janson sighed. He was completely unfazed by the fact he was about to force his kid to commit suicide.

"Just give me a moment," Newt snapped, "I'm about to die."

Janson pressed the barrel of his gun to Newt's forehead, forcing his head to bend back.

"Do. It." Janson seethed, "Or I swear to God you'll never see your family alive again."

"I hope you rot in hell." Newt whispered, and then swallowed the pills, forcing them down with the alcohol, and his eyes never left Janson's.

Thomas burst into the waiting room, breathing fast, his shirt pulled on the wrong way round. His heart beat wildly in his chest and it hurt to take a breath, but Tommy had to get to the hospital…

The boy spotted all of Newt's siblings sitting on the coffee-stained couches. Teresa was crying quietly into Gally's shoulder, while Minho stared at the wall blankly. Brenda came up to greet him. She put her arms around him,

"Where is he?" Thomas whispered, returning the hug because this was Newt's _family_ , and they deserved all the support they could get.

"Intensive care," Brenda mumbled. There were tears shining in her brown eyes, but she looked angry. "They say it's a suicide. A fucking suicide. Like Newt would do something like that."

"Brenda," Teresa hissed, suddenly appearing next to Thomas. She smiled palely at him, her eyes were bloodshot. "It's so good that you came, Tom." Tessa whispered, and Thomas pulled her into his arms. Gally and Minho came over, and they patted him on the shoulder.

"So…what's his condition?" Thomas asked after a moment. A nurse hurried past.

"Stable," Minho shrugged, hugging himself, "he's in a coma. There's not much the doctors can do. They got the tablets out, but it doesn't look like he'll be waking up anytime soon."

"Shit." Thomas breathed, "can I see him?"

Brenda nodded,

"Yeah. He's in room number thirty-two. Mom just left."

Thomas squeezed her hand and then walked into the corridor that he got pointed at. There was no-one outside the simple wooden door to Newt's room, and up until that moment Thomas still thought that when he stepped inside Newt would be reading a book, or sleeping on his side, or drinking tea, or blowing smoke out of the window. He would smile at Thomas, call him "Tommy" or "shank" and then they would sit by each other all night and laugh.

But when the brunette opened the door, he wasn't greeted by Newt's warm voice, but by the steady beeping of the heart monitor.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

His beautiful Newt laid on the bed, eyes closed, lashed throwing purple shadows onto his sickly pale cheeks.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

There were tubes attached to the boys arms and hands and one was down his throat.

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._

He didn't look like he was asleep. He looked like he had one foot in his grave.

Thomas sat down in the empty chair at the blonde's side. He stared at him, suddenly unsure and awkward. He felt weird talking to someone who couldn't reply, someone who maybe couldn't even hear him…

"Newt?" Thomas asked softly. On impulse he slid his hand into Newt's one. It was soft but slightly cold. The brunette slid the coma patient's hand, "Newt, I don't know if you can hear me but…but I know you didn't do it. You didn't try to kill yourself, I know it and Brenda knows it, and I think that deep down Tessa, Minho and Gally know it too." The words suddenly flowed more easily, "I don't know if you know it's me, but please come back. Or give us a sign, or something. Please, Newt."

The blonde didn't wake up, didn't squeeze Thomas' hand, his heartbeat didn't pick up. So the brunette just sat there, holding Newt's limp hand in his and smoothing down his blonde locks until Gally came in. He stood next to Thomas silently for a moment,

"Brenda says you should come over for dinner," he grumbled eventually. Thomas nodded, but he couldn't quite bring himself to let go of his blonde. Gally sighed, "Come on man. He's not going anywhere."

 _Newt was in a metal box. His claustrophobia kicked in and his breathing sped up, he clawed at the metal walls, but there were no doors. He knew he was going up. Up and up and up, for God knows how long._

 _And then, suddenly, the metal lifted stopped. Newt sat in the corner and looked around expectantly, his heart beating wildly. He was afraid._

 _The ceiling parted and bright sunshine flooded Newt's eyes. He shielded them abruptly, curling in on himself. After so much time in the dark the light hurt him. Then a deep voice spoke._

" _Welcome to the Glade, Greenie." A boy suddenly appeared above him. Newt let out a startled gasp and crawled back. The boy had dark skin and a bald head, one of his muscular arms was extended towards Newt. His eyes were warm but he wasn't smiling._

 _Hesitantly, Newt let himself be pulled out of the metal box. The blonde stood up and looked around, and his blue eyes widened when he saw the four massive walls on either side of him, far off, like a cage. A very pretty, sunny cage._

 _The blonde stumbled backwards. It was just him, and the four walls, cracked open in the middle, and the mystery boy. Darkness greeted him from the exits and Newt shuddered. There were no birds, no wind. It was eerily quiet._

 _If Newt was really dead, then this was definitely not heaven. The blonde stalked over to the closest wall, the other boy didn't stop him, feeling fear coiling deep inside his stomach. He stood opposite the doorway, and watched a stone corridor, overgrown with vine, curl around the corner._

 _The boy studied the wall. He reached out to touch it but he couldn't feel the rough stone beneath his palm. He saw the names written on the slabs though. Alby. Ben. Chuck. Frypan. Jeff. Winston. Zart. Newt's pale fingers traced over the names._

" _W-Who are y-you?" Newt asked, sensing the dark skinned boys presence next to him, "where am I?"_

" _My name is Alby and this is the Glade," the newcomer waved his hand around, "an in-between place of sorts."_

 _Newt winced,_

" _Like purgatory?"_

 _The older boy chuckled,_

" _You think you're dead, ain't it shank?" he asked, and slung his arm around Newt's shoulders, "Trust me, you're not. You're in a coma, everyone here is."_

" _Everyone?" Newt frowned. And very slowly the Glade came to life. People came out of buildings that Newt hadn't noticed before, barely more than shacks. There were boys and girls alike, all wearing weird clothing, carrying gardening equipment._

" _I don't understand," Newt mumbled._

" _The Glade…it's a sort of suicide room," Alby said, "for teenagers. If you tried to commit suicide and failed, and are now in a coma, you come here."_

" _B-But," Newt stumbled, "I didn't commit suicide. I was murdered!"_

" _You're not dead, shank." Alby hissed, "you're still alive. But you don't belong here. In the Glade. You're not a suicider."_

" _Then what am I doing here?!"_

" _I don't know." Alby shrugged. A small, chubby boy with brown, curly hair ran over on his short legs. His cheeks were pink and there was a wide smile on his face,_

" _Hey Alby," he looked at Newt, "New boy?"_

" _This is Newt," Alby explained, "Newt, this is Chuck."_

" _Hi. Nice to meet you," Chuck waved a little. He couldn't be older than twelve, "Alby. Winston and Sonya are leaving."_

 _Alby's eyes saddened but he smiled gently,_

" _That's good. Come, Newt." The blonde followed his new 'friend' and Chuck ran on ahead._

" _So what are those doors?" Newt pointed at the walls._

" _North," Alby pointed to the North door with two fingers, "if you want to give up and try for heaven. South," he pointed to another door, "if you want to give up and try for hell. East," he pointed to the third wall, "If you want to be judged in purgatory. And West," he pointed to the door where a group of Gladers was huddling, "if you want to wake up."_

" _It's that easy?!" Newt asked. Alby shook his head,_

" _No. There are many obstacles on the way back down, and many people never make it to the end, instead automatically getting sent to Purgatory," he shrugged, "some prefer to choose their own fate. Other like to wait – like me."_

" _Oh." Newt said. They made it to the group of boys and girls, who were all hugging a girl with pale blonde hair. The boy next to her was finishing engraving his name into the West wall. The two looked terrified, and they had heavy backpacks on their backs._

 _Alby made his way to the two, and the other Gladers parted for him. The dark skinned boy embraced the boy and then the girl._

" _Good luck," he said, "I hope you make it."_

 _The girl, Sonya, smiled,_

" _Anything any of you want us to pass on when we make it?" she asked._

" _If we make it," The boy, Winston, grumbled. The girl rolled her eyes, as everyone said that they didn't need anything._

" _Alright," the girl smiled awkwardly one last time, "thanks for everything guys. And you," she suddenly turned to Newt and winked, "don't give up, Greenie, yeah?"_

" _Yeah," Newt shrugged, but couldn't keep the smile off his face. Winston and Sonya walked backwards, waving, and they took off running. When they turned the corner the walls rumbled and began closing._

" _How do we know if they made it?" Newt asked after a moment, when everyone began walking off. Alby sighed,_

" _We don't." he admitted, "come, let's eat dinner. And then perhaps there will be a dreamer waiting for you."_

" _A dreamer?"_

" _Yeah. One of your family member, friends, a significant other. They sometimes come here in their dreams, but when they wake up they don't remember it anymore."_

" _Oh." Newt said again as Alby led him away._

 _But._

 _He wasn't dead._

 _Gally looked around, confused. Minho stood next to him, looking out of place._

" _What the hell is this?" Gally grumbled, looking up at the humongous walls rising on either side of him. There was a corridor leading off to the right, and then one leading to the left. Minho shrugged and started walking forward to the door of light at the end._

" _Woah! Woah! Hold up!" Gally exclaimed, running after him and grabbing his arm, "where the hell are you going?!"_

 _Minho pointed his thumb at the door,_

" _Where do you think, Shank?" he shrugged his brother again and started walking. Gally matched his step,_

" _Hey! Don't you know anything about how a door of light leads to heaven?! Are we dead?!"_

" _Chill, bro," Minho rolled his eyes, "we're not dead, just asleep. And no way are you going anywhere near Heaven anyway. If this is a hell door…well, I'd expect it to be more magnificent."_

 _Gally had to admit that Minho had a point. The two walked towards the door without a word. Minho's step didn't falter as he stepped through the wall of light. Gally gulped and stepped in after him._

 _The two found themselves in a wooden house, or a shack more like, with wooden walls, no glass in the window, and two beds. One of the beds was occupied by none other than Newt himself._

" _Oh my God!" Minho exclaimed and pulled Newt into his arms. He ignored the fact that he couldn't feel the other boy, "you're alright."_

" _Not really," Newt winced. Gally stared at him._

" _What's with the clothes?" Minho quirked an eyebrow taking in Newt's weird, too-big shirt and brown leather pants. The blonde rolled his eyes,_

" _It's what the Gladers wear."_

" _Gladers?" Gally asked, confusion evident in his eyes._

" _I don't have time to explain," Newt sighed. Gally's eyes widened,_

" _Wait! Wait! You're not…y-you're not saying goodbye, are you?!" the boy demanded. Newt stared at his feet, "Newt you're not dying on us!"_

" _I'm sorry guys. I…I don't know what I'll do," Newt said quietly, "I can choose my own path, try to wake up or move on."_

" _Well wake up, of course!" Minho said like it was the most obvious thing ever, "unless…did you really commit suicide?"_

" _No!" Newt scoffed, "Of course not. My father forced me."_

 _A knock sounded on the door and Newt's expression fell._

" _You have to go," he said._

" _Go where?" Gally yelled. The light flashed…_

Gally sat up in bed sweating, heart beating madly. He pressed his hand to his heart and tried to take deep calming breaths. He had a weird dream…and Newt was in it, and Minho…but already the details were escaping his head…

Later, at breakfast, which was a solemn and miserable affair, Minho mentioned having a weird dream as well. Gally shrugged it off.

 _Newt pondered over the maps in the map room. His hands traced the dark lines that the gladers have drew. He wasn't really studying the maps…more like, he was thinking._

 _All of it was too much – meeting Thomas, his father attempting to kill him, the Glade, Minho and Gally visiting. Newt sighed and stared at the map, looking for answers._

 _Alby explained to him that some of the gladers were 'runners' who went into the maze, but instead of choosing to move on, came back with the maps of the maze. Well…sometimes they came back._

 _From the centre of the glade, four corridors led off, and there were multiple twists and turns and Newt's eyes went blurry just from trying to comprehend what he was seeing. All the corridors of the maze stopped abruptly at some point, and every corner of the page was white. Over the blankness was written;_ _ **Heaven? Hell? Purgatory?**_ _And finally,_ _ **Home?**_

 _Newt's fingers unconsciously ran over the Home corridor. Something squeezed his heart even though he couldn't really feel the paper under his hands._

" _Newt?" Alby asked gently. Newt looked up,_

" _What's up?" he asked._

" _Someone's here to see you…upstairs," Alby said. He had sad eyes. Since he'd been here, nobody had come to visit him. After all, three years was a long time. Newt came outside, into the night air. The gladers were all sitting round campfires, talking and laughing, not quite ready to sleep. They looked like normal teenage boys, out for a trip, but Newt knew none of them could taste the juicy steaks or feel the warmth of the fire._

 _Alby led him to the wooden shack and stood solemnly outside. Newt gave him a nervous smile and then let himself in, running up the creaky stairs. He burst into the room, and there stood his two sisters, clutching each other's hands. Brenda's eyes widened,_

" _Newt?" she asked in disbelief. Teresa ran and enveloped him in a hug. A cold shiver ran down Newt's thin frame, he couldn't feel her body heat or her hands clinging onto her back._

" _Are you okay?" the girl asked, stepping back, "What is this place? Did they hurt you? Are you in pain, what hurts Newt?!"_

" _Nothing hurts," Newt offered her a smile and gently shrugged her off._

" _How are you here?" Teresa frowned, "you're asleep…unless…did you wake up?!"_

" _No," Brenda answered for him, looking right into his soul, "He's still asleep."_

" _Oh Newt," Teresa whispered and reached for his face. The blonde flinched, "What can we do?!"_

" _You can't do anything." He whispered sadly, "You just have to wake up."_

" _But…You can't! You can't wake up!" Brenda protested._

Thomas, Brenda, Tessa, Minho and Gally sat around a round table in Starbucks near the hospital. They couldn't handle the hospital café anymore, not with the crying kids and sobbing parents.

But the atmosphere in Starbucks wasn't much better. It was two in the afternoon on a Wednesday, Thomas didn't go to his job interview, didn't call his mother, Gally and Teresa didn't go to work, Brenda and Minho skipped school to see their comatose brother. Nobody was saying anything.

Minho was on his third black coffee, Brenda was aimlessly mixing her caramel Frappuccino, Gally was eating a bagel and Teresa's tea cup clanked against her teeth every time she raised it to her lips. Thomas just stared at his fruit mix with distaste. He didn't even want it.

"This is ridiculous," he said. Gally looked up,

"What is?" he asked, furrowing his thick eyebrows.

"That Newt's in there, unconscious for god knows how long, and his bastard of a father still hasn't been caught."

Minho snorted, but it lacked any real amusement,

"What do we propose we do, Sherlock Holmes?" he asked sarcastically, "catch him ourselves?"

"Exactly," Brenda said suddenly, a twinkle in her eye. She took a sip of her Frappuccino.

"And how exactly do you want to do that?" Tessa asked sceptically putting her tea cup down. Thomas bit his lip – he hadn't thought that far ahead…

"What if…," he started, and made eye contact with the siblings. Tessa looked tired, her makeup smudged under her vibrant blue eyes, Gally was glaring as usual, Minho wasn't smiling which was _unusual._ Brenda was just smiling softly at Thomas, "Well, what if we lie?"

"What do you mean?" Teresa's brow furrowed.

"What if we pretend that Newt has woke up? That he's fine and healthy," Thomas was suddenly excited, "wouldn't his father come and try to finish the job?! And then we could get him!"

"We'd have to convince the doctors and our mother," Minho leaned forward, his eyes sparkling. Thomas knew he had him.

"This could work!" Brenda grinned. Gally and Teresa exchanged uneasy looks,

"Alright, I guess it can't hurt Newt," the girl finally admitted, throat tight.

 _Newt sat on the grass, watching the doors. It was late afternoon, and the Glade was warm. All around him work went on, the builders put up a new house, the slicers were murdering some poor, innocent pig for dinner. Newt sighed and buried his face in his knees. He wondered if he should start getting used to this; this horrible sense of loneliness even as he was surrounded by people, never being able to feel another person's touch, never feeling the sun rays on his skin even as they blinded him._

 _He couldn't do that. He just couldn't._

 _But when the time came, which road would he choose? Would he pick heaven or hell or try to fight his way back home. Newt wanted to go home, so bad that it hurt. He wanted to hear Minho's cheesy jokes and let him tell him about his one night stands, telling him how gross he was. He wanted Teresa to baby him when he felt ill, making him warm tea with honey and tucking him in as if he was a kid. He wanted to hold onto Brenda's promise that they'd sneak to Vegas for their next birthday (if he lived until then ). He wanted to annoy Gally and hug him just to see if he would finally smile, and he wanted to tell his aunt how much he loved and appreciated her. And he wanted to see Tommy again; and tell him what could've been._

 _What could've been._

 _Newt looked up, and frowned. A dim, blue light was coming through the purgatory doors of the Maze. Shakily, Newt got up and speed-walked to the massive entrance. As he neared, he glanced around. There was nobody close by, and everyone seemed pretty busy with their jobs. Nobody paid Newt much attention as he slipped into the Maze._

 _His heart pounded in his chest as all noise dimmed around him, as if the maze cast a spell on him. The walls shielded any of the light from coming near Newt, and they were overgrown with long vines that brushed against the blonde's face, reminding him of spiders. He shivered and then jogged to catch up with the light._

 _As soon as he rounded the corner and lost sight of the way back home, he saw her. A middle-aged blonde woman stood in front of him. Her clothes were white, her hair pinned back in a bun, a sad, but warm smile on her face._

" _My little Newt," she breathed._

" _M-Mom?" Newt asked in disbelief. The woman nodded, and Newt started toward her, "did you come to take me? Am I dead?!" the boy demanded, suddenly terrified. He wanted to run back to the Glade, he wasn't ready…_

" _No, it's alright. Don't come closer though," his mother spoke softly, soothingly. Newt froze._

" _How are you here?" he asked quietly. Ava smiled,_

" _For years I have been in purgatory, making up for my bad deeds." She explained, "and I have been awaiting you. My son, my baby boy."_

" _You've been here for sixteen years?" Newt asked, his mouth suddenly dry. He was cold, so, so cold…_

" _It's a long pay for suicide," Ava said sadly, "for leaving my baby behind."_

" _Why did you?" Newt asked, his heart clenching, his eyes filling with tears, "why did you leave me, mom?"_

" _Oh my sweet boy," a tear rolled down the woman's cheek, "If I could only turn it back…but it's too late. What's been done cannot be undone, what's lost cannot be replaced," he hand reached forward as if to touch Newt, but dropped at the last second. Ava took a deep breath, "I'm proud of you my boy, and there is not much time. You must listen carefully – there are hard times to come. You will have to choose your path and get past the monsters and obstacles waiting for you, and then wake up."_

" _What if I don't want to?" Newt asked defiantly._

" _You have to," Ava shook her head, "people are waiting for you. Your family. Someone will come to help you."_

" _What about you?"_

 _Ava smiled,_

" _I'll wait." Then she froze, "you must go." She said sharply all of a sudden, "Quickly! Run! The doors are closing!" he voice rose in panic._

" _B-But mom-"_

" _Go!" Ava ordered, walking backward, "Go! You have to wake up!"_

 _The urgency in her voice made Newt's heart stutter and he began running. He rounded the corner, lost sight of his mother, and sprinted for the door. It began to rumble, slowly closing. Panic rose in Newt's chest, and he felt sick. He had to make it…_

 _Newt's lungs weren't burning, his legs didn't hurt, he couldn't hear anything except his unsteady heartbeat, but somehow he felt the coldness creeping up his neck. He sped up, he was so close…the ground shook as the stone walls came closer together._

 _A root caught Newt's shoe and he fell to the ground. He smashed down, but didn't feel any pain, only the cold surrounding him. His teeth chattered and he tried to force himself to his feet but his muscles were frozen…_

" _NEWT!" Alby bellowed, "Newt! Get up!"_

 _The dark skinned boy had a strong arm wrapped around Newt's waist, dragging him to his feet. Newt pressed against the other boy, but he couldn't feel his body heat. He struggled to the exit, but his ankle wouldn't cooperate , it throbbed and he was cold, so cold…_

 _He and Alby spilled out onto the grass, surrounded by Gladers, just as the doors slammed shut._

"Everything's ready," Minho said, sitting in a hard plastic chair next to Thomas. The brown-haired boys leg was jittering nervously. "It'll be okay, we'll catch him." The Asian said reassuringly. Thomas nodded.

The police was positioned around the corridor, dressed in civil clothing. All the nurses have cleared out, to not get into the possible fight between Janson and the police. All of the Agnes siblings were sitting downstairs, along with Thomas, in a separate room. A police officer stood by the door, and suddenly his radio cackled,

"The suspect has entered the hospital." A voice sounded.

"Roger that," the police officer muttered. Thomas' heart sped up. Oh God, the almost-murderer of Newt was so close…so close…

Shouting sounded up from upstairs and all the teenagers looked up at the ceiling. A gun shot sounded, then another one. A scream. Thomas felt like he was going to be sick. And then a thought hit him.

What if Janson got to Newt? What if he killed him….

Thomas got to his feet and sprinted across the room, ducking under the officer's arm before the man had time to react. He made it up the stairs, the officer yelling after him. Thomas burst into Newt's corridor. The officers were all taking cover from Janson, who stood in the middle of the corridor, a weird device in his hand…

"Evacuate the building!" an officer muttered into her radio, "evacuate!"

Thomas eyed the man up and down. He was holding a bomb. Thomas froze.

"Oh God," he whispered.

"Thomas," Janson spat, still grinning like a maniac, "how nice to see you. Still trying to protect your little boyfriend? Just like when you were children. I should've killed you then."

"Put down the bomb," Thomas said shakily, "why are you doing this?"

"Why?!" Janson roared, suddenly angry, "WHY?! Because Ava took everything from me! My life! Wanted a divorce, wanted me to pay for that…that bastard!" the man pointed at Newt's closed room with his free hand, "like I would do that! Got me into court! Into jail for hitting her! Stupid bitch. She didn't deserve me, and now she's gone but my life's still fucked. So I'm gonna kill that little son of mine," Janson said venomously, "before I'm forced to wear those stripes again."

"He didn't do anything!" Thomas yelled. The police was trying to get him to back up, but he pushed past them angrily, "he was just a kid! He's still just a kid, for God's sakes! He doesn't want anything from you!"

"But I want him to die!" Janson screamed, like it made any sense.

"Let me get him," Thomas begged, "Please. Let me get him out."

" _Hospital's been evacuated,"_ a voice sounded from the radio. Janson laughed,

"Looks like it's just you and me and him and them," he chuckled. He gestured at the police officers, "You all have kids and families. How about you get outta here?"

"Sir, put down the bomb," one officer asked calmly. Thomas turned to them,

"Go," he said, "please. He'll blow up the hospital."

"Let the boys go," another officer interjected. He was Hispanic and he stood up, standing next to Thomas, his gun raised, "you don't have to do this. You can walk away. You won't be charged with murder. You won't have to die in this hospital."

"Who says anything about me dying?" Janson asked. He put the bomb on the windowsill. It began ticking, "Goodbye, Thomas!" the man yelled, and then disappeared down the end of the corridor.

"Oh my God!" one of the officers cried out, "everyone get out! Get out!"

The officers scrambled to the doors. The Hispanic officer grabbed Thomas' arm roughly.

"Let's go!" he said, "we have to go! Now!"

"No!" Thomas shook him off and broke off into a run, slamming Newt's door open. The blonde laid in his bed, deathly pale, looking like death, hooked to all these tubes and devices…Thomas made quick work of ripping the tubes away. Newt wasn't bleeding he was barely breathing. "Please!" Thomas yelled at the Police officer. The man groaned but helped Thomas unplug Newt. The brunette pulled the blonde into his arms, wrapping his arms protectively around him. The police officer ran in front of him, opening doors quickly. The bomb ticked, counting down their time. How much time?

"Come on, kid!" the officer yelled. He broke out into the parking lot. Thomas followed, Newt weighing nothing in his arms, his head nestled into the crook of the brunette's neck.

Thomas didn't make it far before the bomb exploded and his vision became dark.

" _Greenie!" Alby yelled. Everyone whooped excitedly, and to anyone else it would've seem cruel, these boys were happy because another kid had committed suicide, but Newt knew the truth; the kid was here, meaning he still had a chance._

 _Shivering despite the sunlight, Newt stood up and dragged himself across the Glade to the metal box in the middle, where supplies and newbies came through. Everyone crowded around as the thing creaked and groaned, pulling upwards. Newt looked on steadily, the two Med-Jacks at his side. Since he'd come here, two boys and three girls had come up. Newt didn't really know how long it's been._

" _Step back everyone!" Alby commanded, pushing interested Gladers back. Harriet, his second-in-command, rolled her eyes and stood where she was. However everyone else shuffled backwards. Newt found himself at the back of the group, but he didn't really mind. He heard the now familiar creak as the trapdoor eased itself open._

" _You alright, Greenie?" Alby asked calmly, soothingly._

" _W-Who are you?!" a voice gasped, "where am I?!" Something nudged at Newt's brain. The voice seemed familiar and…_

" _It's alright," Newt could vaguely see above the heads of all the Gladers surrounding him. Alby was pulling the new guy up, but all Newt could see was the back of his head. The back of his very familiar head._

" _T-Tommy?" he whispered in awe, mouth suddenly dry, heart beating fast. The brunette whirled around and Newt was met with wide, surprised whiskey-coloured eyes. Thomas' hair was sticking up in different directions and there were smudges of ash on his cheeks and shirt. All the Gladers turned to stare at Newt, Alby's brows furrowed._

" _Newt." Thomas breathed, realization dawning on him,"Oh my God, Newt." In two steps the blonde was safely wrapped up in the taller boys arms. Thomas cradled him close, but Newt couldn't feel anything, not his warmth, not his hands trailing up his back._

" _Hey there Tommy," Newt said, voice hoarse. Thomas stepped back suddenly._

" _Newt I'm so sorry," he whispered, "I'm so sorry."_

" _For what?" Newt asked, "Tommy what did you do?"_

" _I-I… it was my idea…," Thomas ran a hand through his hair, panic in his eyes, "I told them…I said that we could catch Janson, pretend you're awake, and get him to the hospital…t-to finish you off. The police was there b-but," Thomas was shaking, "he had a bomb. Of_ course _he had a bomb."_

" _What bomb?" Newt asked._

" _I don't know," Thomas growled, exasperated, "But he blew up the hospital. And I wasn't fast enough, I didn't get you out in time-"_

" _No, Tommy listen-"_

" _God, I'm so sorry," Thomas pulled the startled Newt into his arms, "It's my fault. You died because of me."_

 _A beat passed._

" _You're not dead," Alby spoke eventually. Newt gently untangled himself from Thomas' arms, and smiled sadly at him. Thomas looked confused and surprised,_

" _What do you mean?" his brow furrowed. Newt sighed as Alby led Thomas off to the unlit campfire. He began explaining to him everything he told Newt about the Glade. The brunette kept glancing at Newt as he began to understand what really happened._

" _So we're both in a coma now?" he clarified at the end._

" _Yes," Newt murmured. Thomas was sitting next to him on the make-shift bench, their shoulders and knees touching. Newt wanted to reach out and take the brunette's hand, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to feel it._

" _So what now?" Thomas asked hoarsely._

" _Now you decide; do you want to try out for heaven, hell, purgatory, or do you want to go back home," Alby said solemnly._

" _Home." Thomas decided, turning to Newt, "Newt we're going home."_

 _Newt bit his lip._

" _I-I…we don't have to decide now, I…" he trailed off, unsure what to say. Thomas reached out and brushed a piece of hair from Newt's face. The blonde's breath caught in his throat. Thomas was looking at him with so much warmth and care in his eyes that it made his heart speed up._

" _Newt," Thomas said quietly, "do you know how long you've been asleep for?"_

" _N-No," Newt's voice was shaking, his hands were shaking. Thomas came and made his already unsteady world flip upside down, "A few weeks maybe?"_

" _Three months." Thomas said. Newt's breath went out in a 'whoosh.' "You've been in a coma for three months."_

" _But," Newt buried his face in his hands, "I've only been here for eight days. Eight days, Tommy…I need more time."_

" _Newt…," Thomas' voice faltered. He sighed, "alright. Alright, I'll give you all the time you want. You deserve it."_

" _Thank you." Newt turned and smiled at Thomas. The sky grew dark, one of the Gladers lit the campfire, but Newt was still cold despite the closeness of the flames. He could feel tears in his eyes, "I'm going to go lie down," he told Thomas, and quickly walked away before the brunette could see him crying._

 _Newt stood at the room door. It was glassed over so he could easily look inside. On the bed, in pristine white covers, laid Thomas. He had tiny cuts on one side of his face, and his left hand was bandaged, his eyes closed. He was attached to all kinds of tubes and machines. Newt's heart clenched._

" _It's all our fault," Teresa was crying. Newt whirled around and his eyes widened. Teresa and Minho were sitting on the plastic chairs, the girl's eyes were red-rimmed, and the boy looked like he hadn't slept for days, "now both of them are…" Teresa broke off in a sob. Minho put an arm around her,_

" _It's alright," he said reassuringly, "I'm sure those stupid shanks will come back to us," he offered her a sad smile. Brenda walked in, carrying coffee, Gally close behind her._

" _Teresa stop crying," Brenda snapped, "it's not gonna make 'em wake up."_

" _Guys?" Newt said quietly. Nobody looked up at him._

" _I'm sorry," Teresa sobbed, "I'm sorry that I'm mourning my brother, and my friend."_

" _They're not dead!" Brenda hissed. Gally sighed,_

" _At least Janson's in prison."_

" _At least?!" Teresa asked in disbelief, "are you serious right now?! Thomas and Newt are dying, and you're worried about Janson!?"_

 _Newt felt himself floating away from the scene. He woke up with tears running down his cheeks, and Thomas' hand on his shoulder. Newt stifled a sob._

" _Newt?" Thomas asked gently._

" _Let's go Tommy," Newt whispered, "let's go home."_

 _Alby handed Newt a backpack, a sad but proud smile on his face. Newt finished the last, lopsided letter of his name on the wall._

" _Good luck to you both," Alby said. He didn't try to touch either of them, he knew that they wouldn't feel it anyway, but his voice was warm, and his smile was genuine._

" _And you?" Thomas asked, shouldering his backpack, "what are you going to do."_

 _Alby exchanged a look with Harriet, who was next to him._

" _I am trying out for heaven," he said, "I think I've done enough. I'm leaving Harriet in charge of the Glade."_

" _Good luck, man," Thomas said._

" _To you too Harriet," Newt added, "to all of you." He turned to the Gladers._

 _Chuck came over and pressed a chess piece into Newt's hand,_

" _When you make it, give this to my mom for me?" he asked sweetly. Newt ruffled his head,_

" _I don't think I'll have it with me. You'll give it to her yourself," he winked. Chuck shook his head._

" _I want you to tell my parents to turn off the machine keeping me alive."_

" _W-What?" Newt asked, horrified, "b-but Chuck-"_

" _I've been here for three years," Chuck bit his lip, "it's time for me to go, but I don't want to choose. Please, Newt?"_

 _Newt enveloped him in a hug, but he couldn't feel anything. Chuck smiled,_

" _Okay big man," the blonde whispered, "you're so brave. I'll tell them."_

 _Chuck gave him a 'thumbs up.'_

" _Well…goodbye everyone," Thomas said. The Gladers all waved and cheered as Thomas and Newt turned around, sprinting into the Maze._

 _After about four hours the two stopped for their third break. Newt's ankle felt like it was encrusted with ice, but he couldn't do anything about it. His chest ached, and his legs were shaky, but his breathing was steady. He didn't understand it._

" _You alright?" Thomas asked. Newt nodded and forced a smile. "We'll make it, I promise."_

" _Thank you," Newt said suddenly. Thomas looked confused,_

" _What for?" he asked._

" _You got me out of that hospital. You risked your life for me." The blonde said with an easy laugh, "bloody shank. Did you already forget?"_

" _Sorry," Thomas said sheepishly._

" _You saved my life," Newt rested his head against the wall and closed his eyes, "I owe you."_

" _No you don't!" Thomas said, shaking his head._

" _Okay if I could do one thing for you, what would it be?" Newt grinned. By now the two were sitting down on the mossy ground, trying to relax their aching muscles. Newt was fiddling with Chuck's chess piece. Thomas sat opposite him, and he had that look on his face, he was looking at Newt like he was the most precious thing in the world. It made Newt flush and look away._

" _Tell you what," Thomas said, "if we get out of here…"_

" _Yeah?" Newt asked, a bit breathless._

" _You'll give me a kiss," there was a wicked gleam in Thomas' eye and a teasing grin on his face. Newt burst out laughing even though his heart ached._

" _Sure, whatever," he chuckled, "bloody shank."_

 _A terrible noise, like a scream, pierced the air. Newt froze and so did Thomas._

" _Here comes trouble," the brunette said, pulling out a dagger._

 _Newt wiped the remains of the final Griever from his shirt. Fighting the monster must've been one of the most disgusting things that the blonde has ever done in his life. Thomas stood next to him, still clenching the dagger, staring at the Griever's body. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes wild._

" _Shit," he said._

" _What?" Newt asked. Thomas started laughing, and the blonde soon joined, slightly hysterical._

" _I can't believe I killed three Grievers."_

" _Two."_

" _What?" Thomas asked, puzzled._

" _You killed two," Newt smirked, "I kicked the second one of the cliff."_

" _What?!" Thomas groaned, "no way…"_

" _Come on idiot, we can't be that far from the way out," Newt smiled. Thomas put his dagger away._

" _Lead the way," he grinned. Newt rolled his eyes and then continued walking. The maze was killing him; so many twists and turns. He and Thomas were blindly stumbling around, trying to find a way out. For all Newt knew it could take minutes, or hours, or days or maybe even years. And what if his family decided to unplug him before they made it out…?_

 _Newt was so lost in thought that he forgot to pay attention to where he was going. He stumbled suddenly, his heart flying to his throat, but Thomas steadied him quickly._

" _Fuck's sake, Newt," the brunette grumbled, still holding onto Newt, "you need to-" he trailed off, a dazed look in his eyes as he stared at the blonde's lips. He started to lean in._

 _It grew colder._

 _A roar echoed through the Maze. Thomas and Newt jumped apart._

" _LOOK WHO IT IS!" a familiar voice bellowed. Janson. Newt tensed, "MY ONE AND ONLY CHILD. WELCOME, BOY!"_

" _Where are you?!" Newt demanded, "what are you doing here?! You're meant to be in prison!"_

" _OH YES!" Janson hissed, voice echoing off the Maze walls. Thomas stepped closer to Newt, a protective hand on his wrist, "I WAS IN PRISON. YOU PUT ME THERE YOU UNGRATEFUL BASTARD. BUT I HAVE FOUND A WAY OUT;THE OH SO GLORIOUS WAY OUT, A WAY THAT MEANS I CAN KILL YOU."_

" _W-What?" Thomas stuttered._

" _Suicide." Newt's mouth was dry. He felt feverish, "he committed suicide."_

" _BRAVO, BOY." Janson laughed gleefully, "AND THIS TIME YOU WON'T ESCAPE ME. YOUR THOMAS WON'T BE ABLE TO SAVE YOU FROM WHAT I HAVE IN STORE FOR YOU."_

 _Thomas shoved Newt roughly behind him and drew his dagger._

" _YOU MAY TRY AND PROTECT HIM, BOY," Janson roared, "BUT I HAVE SOLD MY SOUL TO THE DEVIL, AND IN RETURN I HAVE BECOME INDESTRUCTIBLE."_

 _A shadow appeared at the corner of the maze, and soon it swallowed up Newt and Thomas. The blonde fell to his knees, suddenly overcome with cold. He began trembling, his lips grew blue._

" _Newt!" Thomas dropped down next to the blonde. He looked fine, but Newt's eyelashes became covered in frost, his hair interlaced with ice. "Newt! Newt what's wrong?!"_

" _S' cold…," Newt mumbled. He couldn't keep himself up. Thomas wrapped his arms around the blonde. It was like holding an ice cube. Janson's voice ran through the Maze._

" _FIGHT ME THOMAS," he yelled, "FIGHT ME. YOU CAN'T SAVE HIM BUT YOU CAN DIE TRYING."_

 _Thomas stumbled to his feet. Newt curled in a ball on the floor. A figure rose above them. Thomas had to crane his neck upwards to be able to take Janson's new body in. He saw bat-like, leathery wings, extended over the Maze, glimmering scales, fiery green eyes, sharp teeth and talons…_

" _A dragon?!" Thomas groaned, "are you serious?!"_

" _FIGHT ME, THOMAS," Janson hissed, "SEE IF YOU CAN BEAT ME."_

 _Thomas looked at his flimsy dagger and swore. What now?_

" _Thomas!" Teresa yelled. She was suddenly standing next to him, half-see-through like a ghost. Her face was determined, her face dirty, her hair tangled. Her dark-green trousers disappeared into nothing at about knee length._

" _Teresa?!" Thomas looked at her in disbelief._

" _He's barely breathing!" Gally informed them, from where his see-through hands were brushing over Newt's icy form. Thomas' whole being hurt – the blonde was pale, like snow, shivering, and Thomas couldn't do anything._

" _I can't do anything," he whispered without thinking about it._

" _Yes you can!" Brenda was standing right in front of him, her brown eyes angry, hands balled into fists,_

" _Fight him you shank!" Minho groaned, a bit further away. Janson laughed._

" _With what?!" Thomas asked, looking helplessly at his dagger._

" _Oh for God's sake…," Gally grumbled. He clicked his fingers and Thomas' sword elongated into a long broadsword._

" _HOW LOVELY," Janson roared, "THIS WILL BE MUCH MORE FUN."_

" _Fight!" Teresa screamed. Thomas lunged forward. He slashed the sword at the dragon's legs, and ducked under them when Janson tried to crush him. Thomas went on auto-pilot, he grabbed the dragon's wing and hauled himself up, sprinting up the leathery skin and onto Janson's back. The dragon bellowed in rage, as Thomas slashed at his scaly neck. Wounds opened on the dragon's skin and black ichor oozed out. The dragon blew ice instead of fire, and Brenda, Minho and Teresa had to duck to avoid the icy shards. Gally dragged Newt further away, trying to keep him safe._

 _Thomas stabbed at Janson's neck, but the dragon's skin was too thick for his sword to do any real damage._

" _Little help here!" Thomas yelled at his friends. Brenda clapped her hands and the sword morphed into a rocket launcher. Thomas almost fell off Janson because of how heavy it was. "What the hell?!"_

" _Go big or go home," Brenda shrugged. Minho deflected a piece of ice coming her way with a wave of his hand._

" _Shit!" Teresa said suddenly, and disappeared._

" _What happened?!" Thomas demanded._

" _She woke up!" Gally yelled, "hurry up! He's dying!" and then he too was gone. Minho and Brenda exchanged panicked looks._

" _Get yourselves home!" Minho yelled. Thomas tripped and fell off Janson the dragon, but he didn't have time to scream because Brenda caught him with a swish of air. Now the boy was back on the ground with this goddamn rocket launcher, facing Janson._

" _WELL YOUR FRIENDS ARE GONE NOW," the dragon screeched. Thomas turned around. Except for Newt's iced over body there was nobody else in the Maze, "JUST GIVE UP. YOU CAN'T BEAT ME WITH A ROCKET LAUNCHER."_

 _A stupid thought appeared in Thomas' brain, but it was his best shot. He deflated._

" _Let me say goodbye at least," he asked in a sad voice. Janson laughed,_

" _BE MY GUEST."_

 _Thomas ran over to Newt, his back to Janson, and cradled the boy close. His eyes were closed, icicles' decorating his hair. He was breathing shallowly. Thomas leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his forehead._

 _The blonde's eyes fluttered open._

" _T-Tommy?" he murmured._

" _Newt, I need you to get up and run when I tell you," the brunette whispered into his ear. Newt shivered, "could you do that?"_

" _Y-Yeah," Newt nodded weakly. Thomas pulled him to his feet. The blonde stumbled but stayed upright, teeth clattering. Thomas held onto his hand._

" _AW HOW SWEET," Janson laughed, "YOU TWO WILL DIE TOGETHER. I DON'T CARE, AS LONG AS YOU'RE GONE."_

 _Thomas thought hard. He imagined the rocket launcher in his hand transforming into a bomb, he imagined the wires and timer, the ticking. He squeezed Newt's hand and then in his hand appeared a bomb._

" _WHAT IS THAT-"_

" _RUN!" Thomas yelled, and threw the bomb at Janson. He didn't stay to see if he hit the target, instead pulling Newt along, under Janson's wing. He saw a doorway, a dark, dark doorway to his left. He prayed it was the right one._

" _THOMAS!" Janson bellowed. A bang echoed. Thomas' ears rang, he stumbled, but Newt was the one pulling him along now. The two exploded into the doorway, everything swam in Thomas' vision…_

The ceiling was a horrible, bleached cable. Newt's eyes fluttered open. The machines around him were beeping. The soft hospital gown brushed against his skin. His muscles were cramped, his head hurt. He was awake.

Newt sat up abruptly and the world span. It was the evening. His room was quiet, the bedside lamp turned on. Newt was squeezing Chuck's chess piece in his hand. He didn't know how it got there.

He was alone in his room, and it all came rushing back to him; Janson forcing him to kill himself, the Glade, Alby and Chuck, seeing his mom and all of his siblings. Thomas appearing, the run through the Maze, killing the Grievers. The cold chilling his bones; the dragon and Thomas forcing him up.

Newt angrily ripped the tubes from his arm. He had tears in his eyes. He wanted to go find Thomas, Teresa and Minho, Brenda and Gally, his aunt…but first he had to find Chuck. There could be no more time.

Newt stumbled out into the corridor, gripping the chess piece. He found a nurse a floor below him.

"Sir?" she asked, brow furrowed, "why are you-"

"Could you tell me where Chuck's room is?" he asked hastily, "please?"

"I…who?"

"C-Chuck…," Newt said. His knees knocked together, his legs shaking. He was so tired, but he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep – not for a long time, "um…small, curly hair…he's t-twelve I think?"

"Oh," the nurse smiled, "little Charlie?"

"Yes," Newt guessed, "he's in a coma. Could you give me the room number please? I have something of his."

"Well…," the nurse bit her lip.

"Please," Newt must've looked pretty pathetic because the nurse eventually gave him the room number. The blonde ran as fast as he could on his unsteady legs to the room.

Inside, both of Chuck's parents sat at his bedside. Newt stared at them through the glass; Chuck was pale and so much thinner than he was in the Glade, he didn't have rosy cheeks, his hair was limp and not curly. Newt's heart ached, he could feel tears gathering, he didn't know if he could do it…

Chuck's mother looked up and walked to the door. She opened it,

"Can I help you, honey?" she asked gently. She looked tired.

"I…um," Newt stuttered. "I have something…from Chuck."

"From Chuck?" the mother frowned and glanced at her husband.

"Well…you see it's all awfully complicated," Newt explained, "I just woke up from a coma…um, I-I…it's so hard to explain but you have to believe me."

Chuck's mom stepped out into the corridor and shut the door gently behind her.

"Go on." She said. Newt pulled the sleeves of his shirt over his hands nervously.

"Well, there's this place. It's called the Glade and um…it's where suiciders go."

"Chuck didn't commit suicide," the woman interrupted, "he fell out of a window."

"Jumped." Newt said quietly, "he jumped out of a window."

"Oh God." Chuck's mom covered her mouth with her hand.

"And…in the Glade there were all these suiciders, and I ended up there too…and well, I met Chuck. He…H-he gave me this." Newt hesitantly pressed the chess piece into the woman's hand. Both their hands were shaking.

"It's the chess piece from the collection I gave him," the woman was now crying.

"He said," Newt took a deep breath, fighting back the sob, "he said that you should take him off life support."

"W-What?" the woman gasped.

"He said take him off life support. He doesn't know what to do, where to go. Which path to choose. He doesn't want to choose; he wants you to choose for him, he doesn't want to fight." Newt said in a rush, "and I promised. I promised to tell you. I promised," he broke down, tears running down his face. Chuck's mother was crying silently.

"Thank you," she said gently, "thank you, child." She returned to the room. She cried on her husband's shoulder, he clutched her as she delivered the news. They called a nurse. Newt took one last look at Chuck's sleeping form.

"…yes, patient from room eighteen woke up from a coma a few minutes ago…" a pair of nurses hurried past.

 _Thomas._

Newt took off running. He pushed past the two startled nurses, and past all the patients. He ran downstairs, breathing hard, heart struggling to keep up.

 _Thomas. Thomas. Thomas._

He heard him before he saw him.

"Where is he?!" Thomas yelled, "Let go! Let me see him!"

Newt burst into the corridor, out of breath, cheeks flushed. Brenda and Teresa were restraining Thomas who looked agitated. Two nurses and a doctor were trying to calm him down. Newt's aunt was there too. All of their heads snapped up when they heard Newt.

"Newt." Brenda whispered, a slow smile appearing on her face. Thomas broke out of her grip and ran across the corridor. Newt met him halfway and let Thomas wrap his arms around his waist, as he stood on his tiptoes, cupping the brunette's face and kissing him feverishly. And just like that, the cold was gone. Thomas kissed him back like his life depended on it, arms tightening around the blonde's waist, pulling him closer. The taller boy pulled away, and touched Newt's face, brushing his over-grown hair behind his ear.

"You're alright," he whispered, smiling, "you're okay."

"I love you," Newt blurted. It was as if they were in their own little bubble; not paying attention to everyone staring at them. Thomas peppered kisses all over his face. Then he froze,

"Chuck-" he began. Newt's tears spilled down his cheeks.

"I told them," he murmured, "they're taking him off now." He broke off in a sob. Thomas hugged him, keeping him close. Newt clutched the brunette's shirt and buried his face in the crook of his neck. He was safe and _warm_ and for the first time in God knows how long, he could feel. He felt the heat radiating off of Thomas' body, his fingers digging into his shoulder and hip, the muscles moving in his back.

He suddenly remembered his family. Thomas stepped away from Newt, and immediately the blonde was enveloped in a hug by Teresa. Brenda and Minho and Gally followed quickly. Teresa was crying.

"Thank you," Newt told them, as they clung onto him.

"What for?" Gally asked. Newt just smiled,

"Don't worry," he said. Then he gently extracted himself from his siblings and walked over to his adoptive-mother. She was crying.

"Oh Newt, my little Newt," she whispered, opening her arms. He hugged her fiercely.

"I love you, mom." He said. She cried harder. All of them ended up crying; even Minho. But as Newt was surrounded by all the nurses and his family and _Thomas_ he knew that he was okay. Thomas woke him up, and there would be time for Newt to grieve his friends; Alby and Chuck, Harriet and Winston, who never woke up. There would be a time for him to see Sonya, who awakened almost three months before the blonde, and there would be a time to forget the Glade, and go on living.

Newt was never cold again, not with Thomas right there next to him.


End file.
